100 Book Challenge Week 21


Book Review #41: 10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD:
Author: Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, PhD
Blurb: Managing attention-deficit disorder (ADD) as an adult is a constant challenge. You may notice that your mind sometimes wanders during conversations. Maybe you keep misplacing your keys. Or your ADD may be causing bigger problems in your life, making it difficult to keep in touch with friends and family and leading you to procrastinate on important projects.
10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD offers ten easy ways to better manage your symptoms and live better with ADD. Written by noted author and acclaimed psychotherapist Stephanie Sarkis, who has used these solutions to personally overcome her ADD symptoms, this concise and clear new edition offers the latest treatment information to help you sharpen your focus, improve your relationships, and manage your time and money.

Review: Wow! Never in my life have I felt entirely normal. I’m an outsider, and I really don’t understand the “inside”. But this book suggests that while I’m not normal, my oddities are normal. For an oddity, that is. What a unique concept!

Sarkis explains that this book is for newly-diagnosed oddities, aka, ADD/ADHD people. And a lot of her listed coping skills I have already figured out on my own. However this book was still great to read as, not only did she point out some areas where I am normal (woohoo), she had tweaks for my old skills and some new ones up her sleeve.

Beginning with a discussion on diagnosis and medication, she goes on to expound on coping skills to cover eight different areas, ranging from handling finances to managing clutter and time, to relationships. I must admit, relationships are the most difficult for me; it is so hard to explain to those around me how odd I am, that I can’t “change”, and that it’s not “bad”, just different. I suspect that 90% of folk really believe I’m just making excuses 90% of the time. Unfortunately, Sarkis has no cure for this misconception, but she does suggest some coping skills that may help.

Some of her suggestions were great fun: feng shui as a cure for ADD? Well, I use it a lot, but it never occurred to me it was a coping skill. Using a headset when you’re on the phone – I so love this one. Email yourself reminders – been doing this for years.

Others covered my “guilt” issues. I’ve always “inhaled” my food, there’s just so much to do, why waste it eating? Turns out, it’s an ADD trait. How about teeth grinding? Did you realize it’s common to ADD people? Me neither. So I’m not quite so embarrassed to wear my “Bugs Bunny” (teeth guard) at night any more.

It was a quick read, for me, as a lot of it is not new, but to someone freshly introduced to the world of being 'normally' odd, they’ll find it useful to work through it more slowly, doing the exercises at the end of each chapter, and spending time putting the suggestions in each chapter to use. While I may not agree with all of her ideas, the suggestion that all ADD can be cured with medication, for example, she has an excellent selection of ideas.

Work your way through them, trying them on for size and keeping the ones that fit. You’ll be so glad you did!


Book Review #42: The Toll-Gate
Author: Georgette Heyer
Blurb: His exploits were legendary...

Captain John Staple, back from the battlefront, is already bored with his quiet civilian life in the country. When he stumbles upon a mystery involving a disappearing toll-gate keeper, nothing could keep the adventure-loving captain from investigating.

But winning her will be his greatest yet...

Review:  Unlike many of her novels that are Period Romances, this is a Period Mystery. What fun!

I was surprised to learn that Heyer was born in 1921, her knowledge of the lingua-franca of the day is astounding, I was sure she was born in the late 1800s! I must admit it was difficult to understand sometimes, she doesn’t explain the odd phrases very well, but I got the gist of it.

Heyer is no Agatha Christie, but this is still an entertaining mystery. I missed the humor and the feisty females with which she has populated the Period Romances I’ve read previously. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed this book greatly.

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